Informaion and Educaion BASIC COMPONENTS OF A CAMPAIGN

RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP 199 2. Good timing and good pacing are important. News is best released when it is still fresh. But biting commentary and in-depth analysis of an issue might be better pre- sented to the public when some awareness of this issue has already been generated. On the other hand, when an issue is no longer “hot” or has gone stale, it will be difficult for you to draw or revive public interest in this issue. 3. It is possible to achieve high impact at low cost. For example, you may want to pro- duce a video documentary that can be distributed in digital form. But this might prove to be very expensive. It might be cheaper for you to invite a television news and features team to cover your issue. Their documentary, made at minimal or even no cost to you, would likely reach a wider audience than a video documentary of your own. 4. Efforts and resources do not necessarily have to come from your organization only. Maximize the interest, goodwill, skills and talents, and resources of allies or simply con- cerned people among mass media outfits, artists, the academe, religious organizations, other types of non-governmental organizations NGOs and politicians. 5. If, however, the mainstream mass media is inaccessible to you, try to find resources for setting up your own alternative, such as a community newspaper or a community radio. Some national and overseas or international NGOs provide assistance for these.

B. Mass Mobilizaion, Mass Acion

Mass mobilization means draw- ing the participation of large numbers of people in an action for or against a policy, program, project, act or activity. 1. The action may constitute a demon- stration of unity. It is called a mass action simply because people are participating in it en masse. Such a demonstration can be used in: • picketing the session of a gov- ernment body, or the meeting of the officers or stockholders of a corporation; • lobbying the government body, or the officers or stockholders of a corporation to take a desired measure or counter-measure; • rallying the public to support or adopt your cause; • simply expressing protest massively. 2. Some mass actions are, however, not just demonstrations but actual measures taken by communities – for example: • To defend their land, communities may stand in large numbers across an access road, bridge, pier or port, serving as a human barricade against the entry of people and equip- ment sent to destroy the land. RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP • To assert their right to the land, they may hold a sit-down, also in large numbers, all across the area they live on or use for their livelihood, in order to fight eviction. • For the same purpose, they may hold a mass planting of trees or crops on the day scheduled for their eviction. • To gain the freedom or to prevent the torture or execution of fellow protesters who have been arrested and jailed, they may mass up outside the courthouse, jailhouse or military barracks to which the prisoners have been taken, and stay there until these prisoners are freed. • Etc. This latter form of mass action requires more solid unity and a higher level of organization as well as militancy. Some tips on mobilization: 1. To mobilize people for mass action, you must convince them of the necessity and legiti- macy of your proposed action; you must build consensus in favor of this action. To achieve this, you must talk to the people you wish to mobilize. You can: • conduct a house-to-house or door-to-door campaign; • seek out and speak with groups of people who are gathered together – for example, to wait for a ride or as passengers in a public vehicle; • hold meetings with organizations or communities. 2. It will be best if, aside from talking to the people, you distribute some material that briefly addresses the matter.

C. Alliance Work

Alliance work is crucial to success in advocacy. There are two levels of alliance work.

1. Forging a mass alliance:

This is the unification of a broad mass of citizens around a particular issue or a general cause. It is the bringing together of groups and individuals so that they can address the issue or work for the cause in an organized and concerted manner. A mass alliance may be short-term or long-term, loose or tight, informal or formal, depend- ing on the nature of the objectives that its members or affiliates have agreed upon. Note: In establishing a mass alliance, it is imperative that the people involved understand clearly the alliance’s objectives and program of action, and that they are truly united on these.

2. Making allies among elites:

This means making friends with persons in power on the basis of a shared position regard- ing an issue or on the basis of a common goal. The friends made may be officials in local or na- tional government, or in an international institution such as the UN, or they may be public figures whose power lies in their capacity to influence government decision-making or mass opinion- 200